“News Bites” was one of our 100 Things to Watch for 2013, the idea that as more people catch up with the news on smartphones, we’ll see an array of apps that help users stay current with a quick scan. The examples we pointed to—Summly and Wavii—have since been acquired, with Yahoo now incorporating Summly summaries into its own app (Google bought Wavii). The use of mobile news apps, meanwhile, is steadily rising, according to Adweek. More than ever, as Digiday recently noted, “readers want to consume content fast and often. The question every publisher is grappling with is how to do it.”

USA Today’s new sports news app, The Q, posts bites that are just 20 to 50 or so words in length. An exec told Digiday that the aim is to reach sports fans at bars, in line or watching TV. Wibbitz, a new text-to-video app, condenses news stories into mobile-friendly video clips. The company is pitching publishers on the idea of integrating its clips within longer features, per Springwise.

On the other side of the spectrum, publishers are experimenting with more immersive online stories that harness vivid imagery and videos. The New York Times garnered buzz (and a Pulitzer) for “Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek,” published last December, which incorporates multimedia elements that appear as the reader scrolls down. The latest such effort from the Times is “The Jockey.” Rolling Stone has also ventured into this immersive territory, with HTML5-powered features like “The Geeks on the Frontlines” and “Greenland Melting.” But lean-back efforts like these, well-suited to tablets, may have too many bells and whistles for most readers, in the view of some critics.

Marketers will need to imagine new forms of ad placement that fit within this wide spectrum of news platforms and find ways to integrate seamlessly so as to complement rather than interfere with the experience.

The worlds of science, gastronomy and art are continuing to cross-pollinate—from edible conceptual art to molecular gastronomy “lab cafés” to synesthetic dining events. Café ArtScience in Cambridge, Mass., is a recent example. Opened late last year by David Edwards, a Harvard engineering professor, the café serves whiskey “fogs” through a special carafe that turns the liquor into vapor (which means consumers don’t take in any of the calories and feel none of the intoxicating effects).

As travelers continue to seek out authentic and unique experiences, hospitality brands keep raising the bar on hyper-localized offerings and exceptional access. Aman, for instance, is introducing a phinisi-style sailing ship in Indonesia, marrying the brand’s ultra-luxe sensibility with regional tradition. With an outdoor lounge and bar, the option to travel by motor, and air-conditioned cabins, the ship brings every modern comfort to an age-old means of navigating the Indonesian archipelago. Another Aman property, meanwhile, offers a dip into paleontology: Guests at Amangiri in southern Utah can join an official dig at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, working alongside fossil experts for a half-day. The cost of getting one’s hands dirty starts at $600. (Resulting Instagram images: priceless.) —Marian Berelowitz

Adidas’ new Confirmed app cleverly harnesses the fervor of collectors who normally line up for limited-edition shoes, moving fans onto a mobile platform. App users create an account, then get push notifications when hot new releases are on the way. Interested buyers in a given metro area—only New York City at launch—indicate their size and, if approved, receive details on where and when to pick up the shoes. An Adidas exec calls it a “virtual line.” In addition to collecting data on these super-fans, the app lets Adidas control which influencers get various styles, drives traffic to selected stores, builds additional buzz and cuts out secondary-market sellers armed with bots that secure advance orders. —Marian Berelowitz

Kids will slide through a “Tunnel of Terror” and get slimy on “Mount Mud” in Tough Mudder’s new obstacle course for the 7-12 set. The endurance-challenge purveyor is partnering with European soft drink brand Britvic on Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder, with events planned for the U.S., the U.K. and Ireland. The concept caters to parents looking to pry kids away from screens and get them moving—there’s now a CrossFit offshoot for kids, starting with preschoolers—in ways that are challenging and fun.

Not long ago, a collaboration between two rival companies would have been seen as a counterintuitive and perhaps desperate measure. In 2015, however, BMW’s partnership with Volkswagen on fast-charging electric vehicle stations makes the automakers look self-confident, open and serious about sustainability and the common good. Continue reading “Rivals joining forces” »

Taking a cue from private clubs like Soho House—which now has outposts from Berlin to Chicago and Toronto—and cool hotel hangouts like the Ace, the first hotel under Virgin’s affordable-meets-aspirational banner houses a Commons Club. Offering “exclusivity for all,” the Commons hosts a “roundtable of ideas and indulgence” at a nightly social hour and includes a restaurant, bar and study area. Virgin marketing also taps into easyHotel lingo with the promise of no surprise fees and free wi-fi.

A new video from Google shows the latest prototype of its modular phone, which will launch this year in Puerto Rico. Project Ara emphasizes personalization—“What if you could make thoughtful choices about exactly what your phone does, and use it as a creative canvas to tell your own story?”—but the sustainability implications are also important.

The city is the new terrain for Nike’s rebranded all-conditions gear, now named NikeLab ACG. Taking a cue from the urban exploration trend (“urbex”)—which involves venturing into unseen and generally off-limits structures and documenting the adventure—Nike says that “For today’s athletes, the city is the ultimate landscape,” complete with “modern obstacles” and many microclimates. Images show an intrepid explorer on a rooftop amid skyscrapers. The urban environment is now as challenging, intriguing and adventurous as the natural landscape.